THE LITTLE ROOM AND OTHER STORIES. Chicago: Way & Williams, 1895. Small octavo, pp. [1-7] 8-145 [146: blank], title page printed in red and black, original decorated blue gray cloth, front and spine panels stamped in dark blue, t.e.g., other edges untrimmed. First edition. Collects the title story, its sequel, and four other fantasy shorts, "My Ghost of a Chance," "In Granada," "The Voice," and "The Scarf." Madeline Yale Wynne (1847-1918) "was an American artist, poet, and short story writer... remembered for her early contributions to the arts-and-crafts movement, especially in jewelry and enameling long before the crafts movement became fashionable... Her writing, however, has been substantially forgotten. Although apparently 'The Little Room' received much praise and attention upon its original appearance in HARPER'S MAGAZINE (August 1895), no mention of it or her appears in most standard reference books. Her collection, THE LITTLE ROOM AND OTHER STORIES (1895), is a little known book. But in fact 'The Little Room' is a minor masterpiece, on a par with Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wall-Paper,' which it predates. It is not only a subtle feminist work but also a mysterious meditation upon the nature of reality, the more powerful for its ambiguity. A unique haunted house story, it achieves considerable psychological depth through attention to nuance and detail, and careful use of allusion to events outside the story in the past. One wonders how many other stories of this quality have been forgotten." - David G. Hartwell. New England regionalism and a lost room ... Nicely handled." - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1673 h-i. "Wynne's work, subtle and evocative, deserves greater recognition." - Robert Knowlton. Not in Bleiler (1948; 1978) or Reginald (1979; 1992). Not in Wright. Initials and date neatly written in ink at upper edge of title page. Small stain ton cloth at lower right corner of front cover, spine panel a bit soiled and darkened, a very good copy. (#156185).
Price: $450.00 save 30% $315.00
No statement of printing.